Accumulator



Patented Aug. i946 OFFICE AC'CUMULAJIIORV Niels A. Christensen, south Euclid, ohio Application May 26, 1943, Serialf No. 488,530

4 clams. (C1. 12e-31) This invention relates to hydro-pneumatic accumulators which are adapted for use in power systems wherein one fluid under pressure is'utilizedL as potential energy for performing work through the medium of another fluid. The accumulator is well adapted vfor use in aircraft operation where space limitations and weight are essential factors for consideration;

The diiiiculty of obtaining an effective seal between gaseous and liquid mediums has heretofore necessitated in aircraft operation the use of an accumulator of the diaphragm type wherein the marginal portions of the diaphragm are fixed between the 4casing sections. While this construction maintains an effective seal between the air on one sidegof the diaphragm and the oil on the other side, nevertheless, the movement of the diaphragm is so restricted that in order to obtain movement of a large volume of oil, it is necessary to use an accumulator of great size and weight.

The restriction 'on spacewithin an airplane presents a problem, particularly in military aircraft where hydraulic means are utilized for operating many appliances that normally are not used in commercial aircraft. The problem is to provide a structure that is light in weight, that is capableof moving a large volume'of oil under high pressure to the various power units, and that can be installed in a small space and effectively sealed against leakage between the gaseous and liquid compartments.

The present invention has solved the foregoing problem by utilizingl a piston that acts as a partition between the gaseous and liquid pressure mediums and that is guided independently ofany metal-to metal contact between the piston and the cylinder walls. Additionally, the piston is provided with a sealing device that effectively seals the two fluid chambers While at the same time allowing movement of the piston in accordance with variations in pressure on opposite sides thereof during use.

The invention is shown by way of illustration in the drawing, wherein Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view through the accumulator embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a section taken on a radial plane indicated by the line 2 2 in Fig. l; Fig. 3 is a section taken diametrically through the sealing ring; Fig. 4 is a section on an s `considerable The accumulator embodying my invention comprises a cylinder ill which has end walls II andri'lj2veach of which has a passageway desighated I3 and I4, respectively, through which fluid'may be admitted to the cylinder. A conduit I5' is attached to one end of the cylinder for communication with the passageway I3, while another conduit I6 is attached to the other end for communication with the passageway I4. In practice, air under pressure-is forced into the cylinder through the conduit I 5 and is held therein by means of a check valve, such as that used in an automobile tire and indicated at Il, while the conduit IE is connected to the hydraulic system with which the accumulator is intended to 'be used.A

A movable partition, in the form of a piston 2l); is disposedwithin the cylinder and is pro- -vided Vwith a sealing arrangement for preventingv leakage between opposite sides of' the piston. `l`The piston is guided by means ofy a rod 2l which projects into the member 22 which forms the cylinder wall I2. Preferably such member isi a cup-like structure having a substantially cylindrical wall portion 23 which -is adapted to extend into the cylinder and to be in threaded engagement therewith. The member may also have an extension 24 which projects into the cylinder and which functions to guide the pis- 'ton rod as aforesaid. An outer extension 25 is arranged for receiving the conduit I6 and has suflicier-itV length that when the piston reaches the end of its available movement toward the conduit I6, as indicated by the broken lines Eil- A,'the end 26 of the piston rod will clear the en d of the nipple 2-1 which is utilized for connectingthe conduit I6 to the extension 25. Similarly, the inner extension 24 is suiciently long' that when the piston is at the limit of its travel toward vthe conduit I5, as indicated by the broken line 2IJ-B,the end of the piston rod is still disposed within`4 the extension 24.

Tov seal the gas and liquid chambers which are formed in the cylinder by the piston, and at the same time to permit sliding actionof the piston axially of the cylinder, I utilize an annular packing element 3B which may be made of solid rubben or of a synthetic composition which is very dense and yet which possesses liveliness and elasticity. Each ring is normally circular and prior to assembly has a circular cross section, such as is indicated in Fig. 3. The outer periphery of the ring-is slightly larger thanthe bore of the cylinder `so that when the ringis inserted in its of *themember 22.

groove 35, in the piston, and when the piston is slid into the cylinder, the ring will be compressed into a substantially ellipsoidal section, as is illustrated in Fig. 4,

The depth'of the ring groove 35 is less than the Vnormal diameter of the ring section, but the width is larger than the major axis of the ring in the ellipsoidal shape, as is shown in Fig.

4. The result of such relationship between the ring, cylinder and ring `grooveis that when the -piston andthe liquid on the other side of the piston. -v

The cylinder may be supported in any convenient manner, but' for purpose of illustration,V I have shown a supporting plate 40 which is clamped between one end of the cylinder and a shoulder on the member 22 and which is adapted-to be attached in any convenient manner to the structure within which the accumulator is intended to be used. An effective way of sealing the member 22' is to utilize a sealing construction similar to that described for the piston, wherein the ring designated 30-A may be disposed within a, groove 35Aadjacent the rim This arrangement enables the end member to be `drawn uptightly against the end of the cylinder without placing any binding action upon the packing material.

The same principle of sealing utilized in the piston may be employed for sealing the nipples 2l and 4I in which case the groove may be formed in the end wall of the adjacent extension, Vas is Yshown in Fig. 5, where the extension is designated 42, and where the ring and groove are designated -B land 35-B respectively. This method f sealing permits the nipples to be drawn up tightly against the ends of the extension without placing clamping strain upon the packing material. if

In practice, air under pressure is forced into the cylinder through the conduit I5, vwhileoil under pressure is forced into the cylinder through the conduit l5, passageway I4, and oblique passageway 13, until the pressures reach the desired operating degree. The amount of air injected is such that when the system is normally ready for operation the piston is positioned approximately at the mid-portion of the cylinder. The

source of air may then be disconnected, while that pumped into the cylinder is retained therein by the check valve Il. The air thus provides a source of potential energy for forcing oil within the cylinder into the system whenever demand for it occurs during-use. The size of the cylinderl may be adequate to cause the movement of a large quantity of liquid substantially instantaneously,

wherefore, by proper selection of diameter and stroke, adequate supply can be maintained vfor assuring operation of any desired numbergof units at the same time. At the completion of use, the liquid is returned in the customary manner to a pump and is fed back into the system by a pump which operates automatically in any well known manner. This causesthe piston '28 to reverse its path of 'movement until the normal positionV is again reached.

An advantage of the present invention is the fact that the sealing arrangement permits the use Gf the cylinder and piston as an accumulator, and thereby solves the problem that was inherent in the use o-f a diaphragm which necessarily had restricted movement by virtue of the xed condition of the marginal portions of the diaphragm. The present invention eliminates one of the difficulties inherent in the use of the diaphragm, namely, thetendency to rupture upon the use cf a high pressure, particularly when the diaphragm reaches a size large enough to produce a volume of the required amount. Any increase in the diameter of the diaphragm necessitates a corresponding increase in the size of the housing and, therefore, in the weight as well, which mitigates against use thereof in restricted spaces.

I claim:

1. An accumulator having in combination a cylinder, a piston disposed therein and operating as a partition to divide the cylinder'into two chambers, means for introducing gas under pressure into one chamber', means for introducing liquid under pressure into the other chamber, the cylinder having end walls therein, one of the walls having a tubular portion extendingA into the-cylinder and the piston having a rod projecting into and guided by such tubular portion, said piston having a sealing device to prevent the escape of fluid from one chamber tothe other, said device including a groove in the piston and a resilient packing element disposed in the groove, the packing element being deformed by movement of the piston into the cylinder and the grooverbeing larger 'than the deformed ring whereby the ring is free to oscillate upon reciprocating movement of the piston within the cylinder, said tubular portion having a laterally'extending passageway Vestablishing communication between the cylinder and the interior of the tubular portion.

2. 'An accumulator having incombination a cylinder, a piston therein, the cylinder having end walls one of whichlimits movement of the piston axially of the cylinder, one of the walls having apassageway therein through which gas under pressure may be forced into the cylinder, the other end wall having an aperture therein through which liquid under pressure maybe forced into the cylinder, the piston having a rod adjacent the axis thereof `and one of said walls having a bore therein for guiding the rod and for providing an auxiliary cylinder in which said rod is adapted to reciprocate, and said last mentioned wall having a passageway extending diagonally therethrough for establishing communi- 'cation between the cylinders and a resilient packing ring carried by the piston for maintaining a uid-tight seal between opposite sides thereof, the piston having a groove for receiving the ring, the depth of the groove being less than the normal cross sectional diameter of the ring, whereby the ring is deformed upon insertion into the cylinder, and the width of the groove being greaterrthan the longest cross-sectional dimension of the deformed ring, whereby the ring has space in which to move with relation to the piston during reciprocation thereof.

3. In combination, a cylinder, a piston therein,

va member attached to one end of the cylinder and providing an end wall thereof, said member4 for the passage of fluid from the cylinder into said first named passageway.

4. An accumulator having in combination a cylinder with end walls, one of the walls having an externally projetcing tubular extension and an internally projecting tubular extension, said extensions having the axes of their bores aligned,

region of said bores intothe cylinder, a piston within the cylinder having a rod extending into the bores 0f the extensions, a packing between the periphery of the piston and the interior of the cylinder, a nipple carried by the outer extension and in communication With said bores, the nipple carried Iby the opposed head of the cylinder in communication with the interior of the cylin- 10 del.

NIELs A. CHRISTENS'EN.' 

